The Perfect Utopia
by Kirbymepoyo
Summary: Dreamland is a perfect utopia. No war, no violence, no crimes. Yet something wasn't right. It wasn't natural. How long has it been since he felt anything with his heart? The emotions he can't feel, and the memories he can't grasp, what are they and what did they mean? He has to know. He has to fix it all. But how? He is only a simple pink ball. Kirby and MK's POV. AU
1. Prologue: A Strange Feeling

_Author's note: _

_This is my first fanfiction! If there's anything I can improve, or you have any helpful suggestions, or constructive critiscism, please leave it in a review or PM me! Please, if you have a flamer, tell me why you don't like this story. Thanks you for reading this and enjoy! _

The brilliant sunlight shone through the window, waking him. It was always sunny here. There were no storms, snows, or even clouds. Just miles and miles of clear, crystal blue skies. The light shone in his eyes, blinding him. He sighed. The time was 8 hours, 23 minutes, and 36 seconds in the morning. It had been who-knows-how-long since Dedede had gone to his throne room, and the explosion happened. And then…what? What had happened after that blinding white light seared his ocean blue eyes?

He couldn't remember.

He couldn't remember anything before the explosion but that fat blue excuse of a penguin and his throne room incident. As far as he knew, it could've happened one second ago, or lasted many millennia. He wracked his brain. There seemed to be several vague memories of a girl with a blond pony tail, a boy with funky blue-green and orange hair, and a blue puffball with a silver mask. But he couldn't remember anything besides that, no matter how hard he tried. He only knew that sometime after that, every day was sunny. The walls were suddenly steel, and he felt empty. He couldn't feel anything anymore; those words that he somehow knew, words like love and happiness and anger, meant nothing. There was only this deep ingrained sense of satisfaction, the knowledge that everything was perfect and under control.

Something wasn't right.

He couldn't place what it is, but he knew somehow. Maybe it was some inner sense that he couldn't recall he had. But this was unnatural. He had know for a long time, and thought nothing of it. That disturbed him. He was one of action. When he thought something was wrong, he usually acted. But this time he didn't. _like someone's pulling my strings, _he thought, and a shudder passed through him.

He decided to mull over things later. Right now, he needed fresh air.

_How did you like it? As I said above, please R&R! I'll try to make the next chapter longer, but please don't expect consistant updates! I have a very busy schedual!_


	2. Chapter One: The World I Know

_Hi! I'm back again after two weeks of inaction! I'm sorry if the story is moving along a little slow, but the action will speed up on chapter three! This is one, by the way, bacause the one before was the prologue. Thanks to the people who reviewed! I feel so loved. _

_FYI for readers: Meta Knight is more of a fatherly figure/mentor in this story, like in Hoshi no Kaabii. I find that I like him better this way. _

_But enough with my ramblings. Read, and enjoy, maybe?_

* * *

Kirby ambled out of his tiny steel dome and onto the cobblestone streets of the village. The "cobblestones" were actually plates of multicolored metal that shimmered in the sun. Villagers were strolling around the town, buying food or just chatting at the town square. Dedede Castle, shining in its burnished bronze finery, stood on that same hill, overlooking the town. It was a world of light. The sun glanced off the metal walls of houses, flashed every which way thanks to the mirrored tiles, and deflected off of the golden teleportation circuits that stood beside the villagers' doors. Kirby knew that at one point in his life, he had loved the sun, but how he hated this glare! _It's just one of the many things that are wrong with this place, _he thought dejectedly.

"Hello, Kirby-dono. How are you doing today?" asked the mayor.

"I'm fine. That is very courteous of you. Thank you." Kirby replied automatically, and then shuddered. _When exactly did I start talking like that? _He wondered.

"Hello Kirby! Want to play ball?" one of the young Dreamlanders inquired.

Kirby sighed. "I suppose that will be fine," he replied a little hesitantly. As he kicked the black and white ball, he was once again struck with the strange sensation that he had done this before, except this time with a blue-green and orange haired boy instead of this awkward, purple haired young Dreamlander. Now that he had bothered to think so far, Kirby noticed that everyone had purple hair. That was unnerving. As far as he knew, everyone in Dreamland had been unique in one way or another.

How did he know anyways? Kirby struggled to hang on to the shred of memory that had reminded him of that fact, but it faded. He sighed. It wasn't his business to know about these things. It was his majesty's job to know all that. In fact, now that he thought back to it, everything made perfect sense. He sighed again. Once again, there was the feeling of emptiness, as if he were missing something important…as if something had been taken from him without his consciousness' awareness…The soccer ball bounced back to the young Dreamlander, and Kirby sighed again. Hadn't he done this before? He had been mistaken as the ball multiple times before and kicked into the air by…who?

_I was sure I knew about two seconds ago, _Kirby thought, with growing confusion. _What's happening to me? To all of us?_ He realized that all he felt was a sense of confusion and fear. What was happening? Why wasn't the King doing anything? Why wasn't anyone doing anything? Where was that sense of perfect control he'd been promised by the King? _So strange,_ he suddenly interrupted himself. _When had I started looking up to Dedede?_ _And the sense of perfect control? Where did that come from? Why are there all these thoughts in my head with no apparent origin?_

As Kirby grappled with his mind to get the answers, little did he know that many thousands of leagues away, someone was attempting the same thing.

Meta Knight sighed in frustration as he threw another rock down the cliff, where it seemingly disappeared into the mist. He sighed as he waited fruitlessly for the thump of the rock striking the canyon floor, though he knew it would never come. Ever since he had escaped from that hopelessly manipulated town, he had been trying to get answers. Unfortunately, answers were things that did not come when one needed them most.

His heart wrenched as he thought of Kirby. The picture of his pupil dwelling inside that mental wasteland was unimaginable. Leathery bat wings unfolded with a violent _whoosh! _as Meta Knight took to the darkening skies, as if light speed flying would erase his troubles.

_Those rocks never hit the bottom, _he mused, _and perhaps that is because there is no bottom? But then how is this land still afloat? If there is no foundation, how are we still all alive? _Questions raced through Meta Knight's mind as he raced against the sunset. _There's no other option. _He thought dejectedly. _I am forced to go consult Kabu. _

* * *

_The first chapter! Yay! Thanks again to all the people who paid a visit to this modest little story. You're all awesome people! R&R by the way! _


	3. Chapter Two: Banishes and Returns

Hello folks! It's me, Kirbymepoyo, and I'm miraculously still alive! I apoligize for the long wait: weeks before breaks are always hell. Thanks for being patient with me! And here, without further ado, is the next chapter! Enjoy?

P.S. thanks you so much to all who reviewed and followed this story! That means so much to me!

* * *

Kirby was more confused than he'd ever been in his life, and he was sure of that even with his memories MIA. _Something is happening, _he thought desperately as he plowed through the neatly hewn watermelon fields. As he gazed melancholy at the large, oval-ish green fruits, his mind wandered. At last, he sat down on the rich soil, his tiny pink body almost completely hidden by the huge among the melons. _Everything is perfect, _he thought, _and yet everything is wrong. _He gave the crumbly black fertilizer an experimental kick with his red feet and closed his eyes.

Kirby knew used to love watermelons, and he still did, but nowadays, it was against the King's law to eat from the fields, for that was apparently stealing. _Strange, _he mused, _how all the food in the fields just seem to be carted off to the castle and never come back. _All the food they had to eat was the strange, grayish white material that had no taste. _Poyo, _he thought with the tiniest hint of sadness, _I don't even remember anything from what happened before, and now I can't even eat real food. I want to know if I had friends, if I had real feelings, and if I had a guardian. _

A sharp screech alerted Kirby, and he sighed. The whistle meant five minutes till curfew, and breaking curfew meant the exile penalty. Kirby shuddered inwardly as he passed the sad, charred wooden frames where the steel coated houses of the offenders once stood. He had never went to the send off "ceremony" but it was rumored that the offenders' houses were burned along with all their possessions, and then they were sent beyond the protective borders of the village and into the maze of canyons beyond. And the monsters that were hiding there…Kirby shivered once again. No, no… getting banished was the equivalent of the death penalty and that wasn't going to happen to him. Not today, or tomorrow, ever.

Another whistle blasted in his ears, sharp and shrill. Kirby's red feet took him flying into his house, and he slammed the door just as the search lights turned on, criss-crossing the dark night with streams of white. _It seemed like God was weaving, _Kirby thought as he slipped into bed, _if there even was one._

* * *

The next morning started off normally. But then again, it always started off normally. Kirby was tiding his bed when the whistle blew, three sharp, harsh blasts.

_The Summoning Whistle! _Kirby thought as he left his half made bed and ran out the door. The sharp, irritating shrieks of the whistles continued, guiding Kirby to its source. As he ran over to the top of the final hill, he was greeted by a large crowd of cappies clustered before the doorway of a small silver dome. Desperate shrieks of protest and crying could be perceived coming from the home, but the crowd was eerily silent, as if bearing testimony. Moments later, two screaming children were carried out by the blue waddle dee guards of the king. An older cappy stepped into view, escorted by a blue waddle doo. The older cappy hurried over to the children, who were apparently hers, and she broke down sobbing. The waddle doo, however, ignored them and waved his sword, ordering the waddle dees with the children to step forward.

Stabbing his sword into the ground before him, the waddle doo pulled a scroll out of nowhere and began reading, barely taking a breath between paragraphs. Kirby, being a young child, could not understand most of the elaborate speech and elegant wording, but he caught the gist of it.

"_The family of the Mayor's cousin is hereby arrested for insubordination of his imperial majesty Dedede, and will be banished from Dreamland forever. Shall they set foot within its borders; they will be considered as traitors to the crown and immediately executed. The house is to be burned down the moment they set foot outside Dreamland, in order to cleanse the village of its impurities…"_ the waddle doo continued plowing through the speech, but Kirby's interest had waned. Instead, he bounced uncertainly towards the children, who had gone eerily silent during the speech, as if some mysterious force had sealed their speech.

Kirby blinked in confusion, his big blue eyes glazed in uncertainty. Why were these children arrested here? And why weren't they making any sounds? Cautiously, Kirby raised a stubby paw to pat the young child when a sudden _wwhhiiiinnnggg! _sound of metal whipping through the air stopped him short. Two more waddle dees had stepped in between Kirby and the child, hefting their spears at him in readiness. Kirby stepped backwards involuntarily, then he bolted back into the safety of the crowd, who watched the entire scene passively. The waddle doo shot a glare at Kirby, then pulled his sword out of the earth and waved it at the waddle dees, barking a quick order. The waddle dees marched off, still holding the silent children and escorting their mother. The waddle doo watched as the last dee disappeared down the hill, then followed his troops. Kirby unfroze from his terrified standstill and watching the receding figure of the waddle doo, he made a decision.

His little red feet went pattering after the waddle doo, but Kirby was smart. He kept a safe distance, just in case the sentence carry-outers were in a foul mood and exiled him too. Kirby crept into a perfectly trimmed hedge right at the border, where not 50 yards from him, the sentence was being carried out. He watched, petrified, as the mother and the children were shoved out of the safe boundaries, and immediately, howls rose from the canyon lands: wild, fearsome screeches that sent shivers through Kirby's body. He observed, helpless, as the family wandered further and further away from the reassuring form of the village, until it was dusk and the mother and children's silhouettes disappeared into the shadows.

Kirby barely made it home before the searchlights flared on, and that night he lay in bed for an eternity and shivered. It has been too long since he had true feelings, but even he could easily distinguish what gripped him now: it was a deep, unshakable horror.

That night the beasts of the canyons howled louder than ever.

* * *

Meta Knight wove expertly through the complex twists and turns of the canyons. At last, what he was seeking came into view: the enormous stone sage, Kabu. His golden eyes narrowed in distaste behind the silver mask, and he tightened his grip on Galaxia. In a normal world, Meta Knight respected and trusted the Kabus. But here, he was not so sure. The black voids behind the Kabu's eyes held a sinister taste, instead of the comfort of nearly endless wisdom.

But now, he had no choice anymore.

Taking a deep breath, Meta Knight landed in front of the Kabu and wrapped his transformed cape around himself in one fluid motion.

"Honored stone sage Kabu," He forced out the words, "I have come to seek your knowledge of why the Dreamlanders act how they do."

"And the long lived Kabu shall answer, _Meta Knight_." The Kabu boomed, its voice rolling through the canyons, echoing off the thousands of walls until the knight's name reverberated throughout the canyon lands, as if said by a thousand different characters. A slight shudder ran through the normally stoic knight. He _definitely _detected malice in the way the Kabu spoke his name. _Yes, _he thought, he would have to play this game very carefully.

"Dedede is controlling the minds of the inhabitants," boomed the sage, "and only those far out in the canyons can escape the signal."

"…" Meta Knight was silent as he pondered the truth in this statement. It would make a lot of puzzle pieces fall into place, but…

"I see that you are confused, _Meta Knight,_" the Kabu almost sneered, "perhaps you are wondering if I speak the truth?"

Shocked, Meta Knight whipped his gaze upwards and glared at the Kabu, his eyes flashing a multitude of colors before fading back to that controlled, unwavering gold. But inside, his mind was in turmoil.

"I assure you, _Meta Knight_, that I am telling the truth. It wouldn't hurt anyone anyways, since death always keeps its secrets." As it said this, the Kabu's form began to corrode, large fractures forming from top to bottom. Seized by a sudden inspiration, Meta Knight spread his wings and practically teleported inside the Kabu. Several books lay scattered in the grim interior of the giant stone sage. Frowning behind his mask as he searched desperately, he finally spotted a book that seemed to have some credibility. Snatching it up, Meta Knight burst out of the Kabu just as it exploded, sending dust and rock shrapnel hurtling every which way. Coughing as he flew, Meta Knight resorted to a direct ascend, shooting into the sky like a rocket. Not a moment too soon, for just after he was out of range, the entire valley of the false Kabu imploded, and a mushroom shaped dust cloud five stories high burst into the air, engulfing everything within a radius of fifty miles. When it cleared, Meta Knight saw that the areas touched by the dust had been obliterated, leaving behind a huge circle of rocky wasteland.

Silently relieved that he chose to fly into the air, Meta Knight breathed a sigh of relief. Finally, he looked down at the book in his hands. It was an old, worn, dust covered edition. Meta Knight touched down a good distance away from the circle of devastation and dusted off his treasure. The golden lettering that used to make up the title was much too faded now, but when he opened it, he saw that the pages were in relatively good condition. He sat down where he was and began to read.

* * *

Hours later, when the sun had almost set, Meta Knight had pretty much figured out what he needed to know. Dedede was controlling the villagers' minds through a process called shattering, which involved a very large and complex machine know as the _Franger_, which required a massive amount of energy, time, and maintenance. _However, _Meta Knight mused, _it would be worth it to Dedede if he could demand total control of the villagers. _He had also read that the controlled individuals would have no will of their own, and whatever will they thought they had was being installed by the controller. Also, the individuals will experience no emotions, and all memories prior to this control will have been wiped.

_So Kirby won't remember me, _Meta Knight sighed. That in itself was a depressing thought. Just picturing his happy, buoyant pupil reduced to a weak-willed, emotionless shell was unbearable. _I need to go back now, and get inside Dedede's castle. There must be something I can do._

Yet, as Meta Knight took flight once again, there were two important things he did not realize. One was that down in a corner of the book was tucked a small, handwritten note: _the machine's hold will wear over time for special individuals. _The other was a red chip attached inside the book's spine that blinked and flashed every second or so, sending signals to someone, somewhere, out in the universe.

* * *

I failed epically at writing Meta Knight. PLEASE PLEASE DON'T KILL ME!


	4. Chapter Three: Alive Again

Whew! I've finally updated after all that holiday hoolabaloo that was Christmas! Thanks again to everyone who reviewed and followed! I feel extreamly loved. In this chapter, I will be using multiple perspectives from Kirby and Meta Knight, so I apoligize if it's confusing. I'll try to make it eaisier by seperating them with lines and marking who's POV I'm talking from. Alright! Now enough blabbing from this author! Go read, and hopefully enjoy!

* * *

**Kirby's POV**

_This is it, _Kirby thought determinedly, _I must go to the castle. I have to know what's going on around here. This isn't a utopia, or heaven. This is hell, if I've ever known one. I need to go, and I need to go __tonight._

His mind made, Kirby strode out his front door, a purpose driving his footsteps for the first time in possibly years. He headed up the hill that lead to Dedede's castle, which shone so brightly in the sun with all its bronze plating that it hurt Kirby's eyes. _I need to find the chinks before I rush in, _Kirby thought, and so he began to methodically walk around the castle, over and over again. The blue Waddle Dees paid him no attention, even though he'd passed by the same position about fifteen times already._ It's like they're brainwashed to guard the castle and follow the king's orders, _Kirby marveled silently.

On the seventeenth pass, Kirby noticed an unusual sight along the western wall of Dedede's castle. The Waddle Dee guards were usually stationed atop the ramparts or at the main entryways of the castle. However, these two guards stood, spears ready, before a stretch of empty wall. Suspicious, Kirby paused in his pacing and marked the area with his mind. As he went through the middle of the eighteenth pass, he reached a stretch of wall where the guards were not paying attention. Quicker than the eye could follow, Kirby dove into the heart of the nearest clump of perfectly manicured hedges. Enormous, cerulean blue eyes peered through the slits between the leaves: _Good, no one noticed me. Now all I need to do is make sure it stays that way. I have to figure out what's so odd about that place. _

_Some time later..._

When the curfew whistle was just minutes from blowing, Kirby's patience was finally rewarded. One of the two Waddle Dees turned around and pressed his hand to a special brick on the wall that had, earlier, escaped Kirby's notice. Kirby took note of its position: two bricks away from the door at Waddle Dee eye level, and marked by a faint outline of golden star. A hidden door slid open with barely a creak, and the Waddle Dee disappeared into the brightly lit hallway, paved with flamboyant red carpet, beyond the entrance.

Silently, the leaves scarcely rustling as he left the bush, Kirby gave the castle one last look before turning away and sprinting for his house. He arrive moments before the searchlights snapped on, filling the night with their brilliant glare. He stared out the window at the searchlight filled lawn, the lights so bright they colored the grass white. _This is going to be an insane job, getting down to the castle in this mess._ Fortunately, Kirby wasn't completely helpless.

A few minutes later, Kirby was holding his breath and floating high above the searchlights. It was going to be an insane chore to do, hold his breath all the way to Dedede Castle. Torturous minutes passed as Kirby drew nearer and nearer to the castle, expecting a Waddle Dee to shout the alarm any moment. However, all was in order as Kirby touched down in the same clump of shrubbery he was hiding in earlier that day. This time, he was pleased to see his luck had turned up: the entire secret entrance was shrouded in black, most likely Dedede's hope to keep the place as hidden as possible.

Silently, Kirby slipped on a pair of night vision goggles which he had bought for an insane price from Togo the Storekeeper, who had been arrested the very next day he sold the goggles. However, as Kirby saw the scenery turn from pitch black to a pale, ghostly green, he was glad that he had made the purchase. _So weird, _he thought, _at the time of purchase, I didn't even realize what I was doing. _Dropping back into reality, Kirby turned the direction of his gaze towards the secret gateway. Two Waddle Dees were standing guard at the gate, just like he saw in the daytime. However, this time they did not seem to be extremely alert. Dee number 1 on the left was leaning heavily on his spear, and Dee number 2 on the left was slumped on the ground, nodding off gently.

_This is going to be a piece of cake, _Kirby thought absentmindedly, _it's almost too easy. _A wave of uncertainty washed over him: what if this was all a trap? He had never ever seen the blue waddle dees slack off like this. Frowning slightly at the entrance not 200 feet away, Kirby steeled himself: _I've already come this far. I won't turn back now. _Fired up with fresh determination, Kirby began creeping cautiously towards the door.

The procedure was nervewracking. Every step he took made a muffled rustle on the grass, freezing him and sending the thoughts of the waddle dees alerted rushed through his head. every breath he took in sounded unnaturally loud in his highly nervous state, and he was tempted to turn around and check if anyone was there breathing down his neck. At last, he made it to within twenty feet of the dees, who now seemed to be fast asleep. Cautiously, Kirby edged forward towards the brick that would activate the gate: 15 feet….10 feet…

Just as he was less than three feet away from the switch, the blue Waddle Dees' eyes snapped open. Alarmed, Kirby instinctively backed away a few steps before he stopped himself. _I can't let them sound the alarm! _He realized. Fueled by urgency, and praying that the skills he had learned from who-knows-where will not desert him now, Kirby lashed out with a vicious kick at Dee #1, sending him flying into the wall with a sickening crunch, where the said Dee slid to the ground and slumped, apparently out of action for the moment. Dee #2 wasn't as easy. After dodging several potentially lethal jabs of the Dee's spear, along with a punch here and there, Kirby finally succeeded in knocking the spear out of the Dee's hands and with another well aimed punch, sent the Dee hurtling towards the wall where he slipped to the ground, unconscious.

Walking over to them both, Kirby gave both Dees another solid kick, just to be sure. When they had not leapt up for round two, Kirby sighed quietly in relief. Hurrying over to the switch, Kirby place a hand on the brick, and the gold star outline shone briefly, before the entrance slid open with barely a sound. The lights in the newly exposed corridor were off, much to Kirby's relief. Had the light some pouring out to the lawn, it surely would've alerted all the sentries miles around. Stepping onto the plushy red carpet, Kirby set off into the castle, leaving the gateway behind him to slide shut, again without a sound.

_Meanwhile…_

* * *

**_Meta Knight's POV_**

Meta Knight was tired of flying. He had been flying all night and all day without any rest and even for a hardened star warrior like him, it was getting taxing. However, he was soon rewarded as he saw the village over a distant rise. It was the dead of night, and the brilliant moon cast a silver glow over everything, and the village Meta Knight was heading toward gave off a slightly unnerving aura. _Everything is right here, yet everything is wrong. _He thought, unaware that a few days ago, Kirby had been thinking almost the exact same thoughts. Diving through the air so that he was hidden by the sheer cliffs on either side, Meta Knight furtively approached the village, which was as silent as the grave.

However, as he drew closer to the village, he saw that no amount of ninja skills would get him past the battalion of searchlights that crisscrossed the entire village. Dedede Castle was the center of attention, with the exception of a segment of the western wall.

Taking a long detour around the blindingly lit village, Meta Knight headed for the blind spot in the barrage of lights. The thought of a trap nagged in his mind persistently, but this was the only place that he could possibly avoid Dedede's Waddle Dee Army. There was no choice for him.

At last, he landed about fifty yards away from the door. His glowing yellow eyes revealed to him two apparently sleeping Waddle Dees and a seemingly blank wall. However, a closer inspection of said "blank wall" revealed all its secrets. It was a hidden entrance, and Dedede had tried particularly hard to keep it hidden. _It's only too bad for him that his intended protection of turning the lights off here only made it more obvious,_ Meta Knight thought, shaking his head slightly at the sign of Dedede's apparent naivety and stupidity. Another meticulous scan from the golden eyes and he had his switch: a brick with a golden star. He pressed a gloved hand to the icon, and it shimmered briefly, before the door slid open, revealing a long corridor leading deep into the castle. _This must be it, _Meta Knight confirmed, _why else would he take so much trouble to hide it if it doesn't lead to somewhere important?_

His decision made, Meta Knight spread his wings and glided through the door, not sparing it a glance as it slid closed. That decision, however, would soon bring trouble, as by not glancing at the door, he did not see beyond it, where the two Waddle Dees that Kirby had previously knocked out were slowly, but surely waking up.

_Meanwhile, somewhere in Dedede Castle…_

* * *

**Kirby's POV**

Kirby had been following the reasonably straightforward hallway for at least 10 minutes. _I wonder how long it is? _He mused silently. At last, he reached a crossroad. _Which way? _He wondered, peering right, then left, then right again. At last he decided it shall all be to chance, as he knew nothing about the layout of the castle.

Heading left, Kirby noticed a slightly alarming change: the corridor was growing narrower and more dwarfish. Even though the darkness of the hall hid him well, at the rate it was shrinking, it would soon be no more than a crawlspace for anyone taller than he was. If someone came down from the other end, Kirby would be trapped by the walls on all three sides, and there would be nowhere to escape to, unless he could make it out of the tunnel to the other end before he was discovered.

A sense of growing panic surged through his body. The longer the crawlspace stayed the way it was, the higher the chance of his discovery. The relief he felt was great as he bumped into the smallest door he had ever seen. It was made of solid steel and the silvery reflection stood out in sharp relief against all the bronze bricks surrounding it. Kirby turned the doorknob and the little door swung open smoothly, but insanely slow, most likely due to its weight. Those few seconds that Kirby waited for the door to swing open completely were anxious and worrisome_, _during which he was assaulted by uncertainties: _what if there are guards in that room? What if the door slams on the wall and attracts enemies? What if it's a dead end? What if it's a trap? What if…what if…what if…_

Much to Kirby's relief, the room was completely empty, and the door came to a sure stop against the rubber doorstop. However, the room itself, drastically contrasting the miniscule corridor that granted access, unnerved Kirby to the utmost.

It was as tall as Dedede's throne room, and it was filled to the brim with a strange contraption that reached the ceiling. Lab tables covered with testing equipment and booklet were placed randomly around the enormous machine. Red beams of light shot aimlessly around the room, coming from an indefinable source. The very atmosphere itself set Kirby on edge. The air was heavily scented with some deep, indescribable malice, as if the very room itself was alive and radiating malevolence and evil energy.

However, the worst out of it all was that Kirby felt connected to the machine pumping at the room's heart. It drew his very soul, and it disgusted him. Everything that ever felt wrong to him, the reason why he couldn't feel emotions, why he couldn't grasp his memories, why he couldn't seem to reclaim his true self was here, and the machine was the origin. Yet Kirby knew this wasn't it. There was some major puzzle piece he was missing, and it was hovering just outside his grasp. He needed to know how this all works, how it all fits together, how it all came together to serve one evil purpose that he was not informed of.

Just as Kirby reached the peak of his disorientation, he heard a slight creak behind him, which brought him crashing beck to reality, and all the fear and panic that his sub-consciousness had suppressed now came flooding forth, like a dam had broken. He turned around stiffly, nearly paralyzed by the sheer terror of wandering the canyon lands when he stopped short at the sight of the unexpected intruder, who was staring at him with deep, unwavering golden eyes.

_Some time before…_

* * *

**Meta Knight's POV**

Meta Knight was now completely and utterly baffled. The long corridor which he had been following for at least 10 minutes came to a crossroad, which he had randomly selected the right. The right corridor yielded a selection of regular steel doors, which he tried from left to right. However, each door that opened he was forced to shut quickly, for it contained mattress after mattress of sleeping Waddle Dees. _Dedede had Waddle Dees guard the entrance to their _barracks? _Maybe I underestimated his insanity…_ Meta Knight pondered as he walked back to the crossroad. This time, he went left.

The corridor was lengthy, but this time the walls on either side were bare. There were no doors, not even a painting of Dedede, not that Meta Knight wanted to see them. However, after the hall grew slimmer and shorter, that was when Meta Knight grew alarmed. _Someone bumps into me now, and I'm dead. _However, his luck held, and there were no unwelcome visitors. At last, he came to the end of the hall that could've been meant for dwarfs, and was greeted by another plain, solid steel door. He turned the doorknob fiercely due to his excitement of discovery, only to curse to himself when it emitted a slight creak. However, as he stepped into the door and took stock of the room, he froze.

"Kirby...?" he whispered in shock.

* * *

**Kirby's POV**

Kirby heard his name clearly, but he still was not sure what about this stranger threw him off. The blue puffball and his golden eyes, along with the blue cape and silver mask all reminded him of something, but _what_?

He stared fixedly at the stranger and mumbled a soft "_poyo…"_ to himself. This was someone from his _right _ past that he had been trying to remember for so long, but he could not recall their relationship. However, Kirby knew that whoever this puffball was, he was not an enemy. Kirby could recall brief fragments of the blue puffball correcting Kirby's grip on a green sword, watching him as he battled the strange monsters of the N.M.E. His mentor, perhaps?

"Poyo?" He asked questioningly at the blue puff.

The stranger, instead of answering, sighed softly. "So you really don't remember me…" He mused, ignoring Kirby's question. "Oh well, I supposed it can't be helped. After all, there are a few things that I hoped you won't remember about me. My name is Meta Knight, and I dislike this situation as much as you do."

Kirby thought hard. _Meta Knight, Meta Knight, why was he so familiar? _Then suddenly, it hit him, and the memory he had unearthed about the knight was so ironic that he was struck dumb for a moment, and then he burst out laughing, rolling around on the floor, clutching his stomach A\as the childish laughter echoed around the room.

Meta Knight stood still for a moment, staring at him uncomprehendingly, but Kirby did not notice. At last, Kirby stood, still gasping from his laughing fit.

"Poyo! Poyo popoyo! Meda Kni poyo! Poyo poyolo!"

"…Kirby? I'd prefer not getting reminded of the day I was attacked by flying pies." _Oh yes, another thing I now remember, _thought Kirby happily, _he's one of the only people who understands my speech! _ As he slowly grew used to Meta Knight's presence, his memories began to return in earnest. More and more of them flooded in until he felt alive and whole again for the first time in most possibly years. _I'm real now. _He thought happily, despite the fact that both pupil and mentor were still stuck inside the malicious room. _The life I was living in this place was not real. Now I'm alive again. There's someone who knows me, who I know, and who has real emotions. Now I remember everything! Now, this life is real. _However, the joy was short lived.

The marvelous sensations Kirby had felt while his memories were reclaimed had brought him to another stunning, but undeniable truth. He wasn't sure how he knew, but he knew now, with an unshakable certainty: the world he and Meta Knight were living in now was not real. All those memories he now had, and the joy he could now feel and genuinely express, they were the elements that were missing. _This world is dead, _Kirby thought with a new sense of purpose, _and so was I, until now. And now it is our job, Meta Knight and mine, to make it alive again. _

However, all thoughts of the revelation were cut short when the alarms began to blare, and when the hallways beyond now glowed red from emergency lights.

* * *

YAY! Another chapter! They just keep getting longer and longer! Thanks again to all who read this! R&R, please!


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